Turkish navy to escort offshore fuel research

ANKARA, Turkey 
Turkey's energy minister says that if Cyprus starts to drill for oil and gas off its shores, Turkey will launch a similar exploration within a week under the protection of Turkish warships.

Taner Yildiz told reporters Monday that Turkish navy would "obviously" escort the research ship that would look for oil and gas in the Mediterranean.

Turkey doesn't recognize Cyprus as a sovereign country and opposes any Greek Cypriot oil and gas search, insisting that Turkish Cypriots should reap any windfall that may come from any discoveries. It also says drilling could damage long-running reunification talks.

Turkey has already announced plans to deploy warships in the Mediterranean in a separate standoff with Israel, to ensure the free navigation of its ships.